VOICE

YOUR
VOICE
Ffederasiwn Heddlu Gogledd Cymru /
North Wales Police Federation
APRIL 2017
Representing
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Negotiating l Influencing

Secretary’s foreword
‘We still just get the job done’
By Richard Eccles, Secretary of North Wales
Police Federation
As I tried to gather my thoughts to capture
a theme around the latest edition of this
magazine, I had to remind myself that
within the last seven days of policing we
had witnessed a UK terror attack
culminating in the cowardly murder of
innocents including PC Keith Palmer.
More locally colleagues had no time to
really reflect or adjust as they were busy
hunting for a dangerous murder suspect at
large within our communities.
Given the tasks at hand, the backdrop
and the constant negativity of the media,
both local and national, you could have
expected a very grey and bleak picture in
North Wales.
The reality was quite the opposite and
that, in my opinion, is what makes us part of
the best police service in the world.
I am sure that I was not the only one left
horrified and tearful after viewing the
events in Westminster, but once again it
was the sight of officers racing forward to
protect others that invoked massive feelings
of pride.
Travelling back to Wales the day after
the attack, it was good to see that there was
no retreat from policing and the ‘Heddlu/
Police’ livery and uniforms were out and
about as normal.
Locally, there was little time for
reflection as we were using large amounts
of resources hunting for a murder suspect
on top of every other call for service.
Eastern was a good place
to be visiting on the day of the
arrests, lots of positive
colleagues reflecting upon a
job well done after a tough run
of shifts!
Hopefully, lots of
commendations will be
forthcoming for all of those
involved in the case.
In reality, despite the fact
that as a service we are cut to
the bone and feel unsupported
by Government, we still just
get the job done and deal with
the problems as they occur.
This week has shown that
we will continue to do so until
the end, that is our greatest
strength and sadly our biggest
weakness if those in power
seek to abuse our
commitment.
Another huge positive
highlighted in this edition is
the support from all parties in
relation to the ‘Protect The
Protectors’ campaign which is
moving forward locally and
nationally.
It is great to see that
locally the chief officers and
Crime Commissioner are fully
behind the campaign and, in
fairness, there is quite literally
nothing that we can suggest
that the Chief and Arfon will
not assist us with in relation to making sure
you are covered.
I am confident that as we push ahead
with the next phases you will start to see
some great team work from us all and we
will harness the public support which exists
out there in our communities.
Gold Resource Group
By Aisla Nicholls
The Gold Resource Group has now been established. This has been set up
as the Force continues to experience high staffing demands.
Most significantly, there has been an increase in the number of officers
retiring (and predicted to retire) since April 2016 resulting in the need to
increase our recruitment significantly in the coming years, upping our
usual intakes to 144.
Increased recruitment will also create new challenges especially for those
tasked with delivery.
Patrol resources are expected to be at their lowest in April and May 2017,
and therefore working as one team is imperative to maintain an
appropriate response across all areas of the Force.
The Gold Group is co-ordinating the management of vacancies, moves and
secondments to maintain front-line officer strength, and strength in other
departments.
Those decisions are being rationalised against an agreed matrix reflecting
the Force’s strategic priorities, with all work focussing on three areas:
l Understanding and improving response to demand (linked directly to
the MRU)
l Managing abstractions (linked to training and sickness)
l The effective recruitment and development of constables.
Many abstractions are unavoidable, and are indeed planned and necessary,
to support officer development, health and wellbeing but improved
management of these will maximise the number of deployable officers.
A number of actions have now been taken, or are in the process of being
implemented, to enable the increased recruitment of new constables:
l Additional places secured at the College of Policing Assessment Centre
l A review of the recruiting process
l Additional services contracted to support medical testing
l A review of the IPLDP probationer course to ensure it is made more
efficient with the aim of delivering new recruits to the front-line more
quickly
l Additional classroom facilities identified.
We would like to express our thanks to officers who have been affected by
decisions made due to the reduction in staffing levels. Thanks also for the
support provided by managers, and the continued team work shown by all
of NWP, in helping to overcome this challenging time.
Published by North Wales Police Federation,
Police Federation Office, 311 Abergele Road,
Old Colwyn, Conwy LL29 9YF
Designed and produced by XPR (UK) Ltd
www.xpruk.com
Contact the Federation
E-mail: FedAdmin@nthwales.pnn.police.uk
Tel: 01492 805400
Web: www.nwpolfed.org
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/NWalesPoliceFed
Twitter:
@NWalesPoliceFed
Every care is taken to ensure that advertisements are only accepted from bona fide advertisers. The Police Federation cannot accept liability incurred by any person as a result of a default on the
part of an advertiser. The views expressed within this magazine are not necessarily the views of the North Wales Joint Branch Board.
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www.nwpolfed.org

Chairman’s comments
Public services need better funding
By Simon Newport, Chairman of North
Wales Police Federation
The week between Christmas and New
Year I was rostered to work a week of
night shifts. Nothing unusual about that
but what was unusual about that week in
general was the amount of time my
colleagues and I spent in our local
Accident and Emergency units.
I am now cursing myself as on one
such night shift I recall observing 10
ambulances and seven North Wales Police
vehicles parked outside A & E. How I wish
now that I had taken a photograph of this
scene.
Why? Well, as they say, a picture paints
a thousand words and it would have
captured just how busy both the local
health board and police were at that
moment in time.
I recall at the time that picture may
have caused some sort of unrest with both
local and national politicians and, as a
serving police officer, I did not want to
cause any political bias as I should remain
apolitical. I do, however, believe the public
should be made aware of such incidents,
after all it’s fact not spin or fiction.
A recent survey shows that nationally,
police officers have reported spending up
to 80 per cent of their time on some shifts
waiting at hospitals while potentially
vulnerable detainees are assessed at busy
A & E departments.
A recent Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of
Constabulary (HMIC) inspection found
that waits of six to eight hours for officers
in these cases are not uncommon. This
equates to 62,000 hours a year.
The most telling image during that
week was the sight of a senior member of
the nursing staff on duty at that time
breaking down in tears due to a mixture
of frustration, lack of staff and the belief
that they were unable to provide the care
and service they believed the people
requiring medical attention, regardless of
why they were there, deserved. I have no
doubt that those tears also represented
anger at the situation we all found
ourselves in at that time.
Politicians of all persuasions will
repeatedly tell you that the public sector
should do better despite year on year cuts
to funding and budgets.
Never, it would appear, will they
accept that their imposed cuts to services
are the reason why the public sector is
spectacularly failing and failing it is,
especially when you witness the scenes I
describe above.
Importantly, the failure is not the fault
of the men and women working in the
public sector. On seeing professional
people showing profound emotion such
as described, it is clear the fault lies
higher up the chain. Yet, time after time,
the finger of blame is pointed at those
who struggle to provide the best
professional service they can under
impossible conditions.
Personally, working alongside doctors,
nurses, paramedics and fellow police
officers, I am aware what a fantastic job
we all do under extreme circumstances
and, quite frankly, I am amazed how it
remains functional. All that I can say is
that is does remain functional because of
the magnificent professionalism of those
people employed in these areas.
Very recently the Police Federation of
England and Wales launched a new
campaign entitled ‘Protect The Protectors’
and linked into this is the desire to have
tougher sentences passed against those
who are assaulted while carrying out their
public duty. You would have thought that
this would be a given but, as is too often
the case, the vocal minorities undermine
the views of the silent majority.
Take the recent debates surrounding
the news that spit guards are to be
introduced as standard issue across some
of the police forces of England and Wales.
The vocal minority call the introduction of
these spit guards ‘medieval ‘and a flagrant
breach of the persons human rights?
Maybe I am looking at this in a too
simplistic way. If you don’t spit, you won’t
wear one. Why should I, or any of my
colleagues, be spat at with the associated
dangers that this brings? The risks include
hepatitis and other such diseases that
could be passed on. Officers who are spat
at face weeks of preventative medication,
months of worry and anxiety as they wait
for test results to see if they have
contracted these diseases and in the
meantime cannot be close to their family
for fear of passing on any infections they
may be harbouring.
Human rights? Surely, to qualify for
those rights you need to act like a human?
The Protect The Protectors campaign
needs the full support of all key
stakeholders in this area in order to show
the protectors, whether police officers,
ambulance men and women, paramedics,
doctors, nurses or firefighters, they are
valued. Those who commit assaults
against the Protectors should be told,
loud and clear, that it will not be
tolerated.
Time will no doubt tell if this message
makes the slightest difference to those
responsible for charging decisions and
sentencing.
Finally, the 43 forces of England and
Wales have been examined by HMIC under
the PEEL programme. PEEL stands for the
police effectiveness, efficiency and
legitimacy.
These inspections should be welcomed
as the police service requires constant
scrutiny but what I don’t get with these
inspections is that HMIC will make strong
recommendations as to how a force
should improve. It never provides the
answers as to how these improvements
should be achieved and never mentions
increased funding for forces. The more for
less quotation is now starting to wear
very thin.
In the meantime, I, like thousands of
my colleagues across England and Wales,
will continue to serve and protect the
communities we live and work in to the
best of our ability hoping that things will
get better and that those in a position of
influence will suddenly wake up one day
and see the country’s public services
require better funding.
On that note, I am off to buy a lottery
ticket…
Representing
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Negotiating
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Influencing
3

MPs back
assaults
campaign
APolice Federation campaign which calls for
harsher sentences for those who assault
police officers and other emergency service
workers has received the backing of MPs in
Parliament.
The ‘Protect The Protectors’ campaign was
launched on Monday (6 February) by the
Police Federation of England and Wales
(PFEW) after growing concern about the rising
numbers of attacks on police officers.
The following day Halifax MP Holly Lynch
(Labour), who is championing the campaign,
introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill on assaults
on emergency services staff in the House of
Commons.
And it received cross-party support from
MPs – many of whom cheered in the chamber
when Ms Lynch said that laws in Australia
mean that offenders who spit and refuse to
have a blood test can receive a $12,000
(£7,320) fine and a custodial sentence.
The bill calls for assaults against
emergency service workers – ‘a constable,
firefighter, doctor, paramedic or nurse’ – to
become a specific offence.
Ms Lynch also called for those offenders
who spit at emergency responders be required
to have a blood test, and make it an offence if
they refuse, so that officers know if they are at
risk of contracting life-threatening diseases.
Richard Eccles, Secretary of North Wales
Police Federation, has welcomed MPs’ support
and is supporting the Protect The Protectors
campaign.
“We all know that assaults on police officers –
and other emergency service workers – are
becoming more and more commonplace,” he
explained.
“But what is just as alarming is the fact
that some officers have almost come to
accept that being assaulted is just part of the
job. It is not. We all know that a certain
amount of ‘rough and tumble’ is inevitable, we
are dealing with people in extreme situations
with heightened emotions.
“But the assaults we are hearing about on
a daily basis now go way beyond that. We are
seeing sustained and deliberate attacks on
police officers and it is time this was tackled.
“An assault on a police officer is an attack
on society. Police officers are committed to
serving their communities they should not
become society’s punchbags.”
Ms Lynch spoke about her work with blue
light officers including West Midlands PCs
Mike Bruce and Al O’Shea who had blood spat
in their faces while trying to arrest a violent
offender.
Because the offender refused to give a
blood sample, both had to undergo anti-viral
treatments to reduce their risk of contracting
communicable diseases, and they faced an
agonising six-month wait to find out whether
the treatment had been successful.
The ‘Protect The Protectors’
campaign will call for:
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A change in legislation, leading to
tougher sentences for those who
assault emergency service workers
Better training and access to
equipment - wider roll-out of
protection measures, such as Taser,
body worn video and spit guards
More accurate data on police assaults,
and
Improved welfare support.
She told MPs: “Behind the uniforms are
incredibly brave and dedicated individuals
who, regrettably, face risks that they simply
should not have to face on an almost daily
basis. They routinely go above and beyond
their duties to keep the public safe, yet when
someone sets out deliberately to injure or
assault an emergency responder, the laws in
place must convey how unacceptable that is
in the strongest possible terms.”
And she added: “To assault a police officer
is to show a complete disregard for law and
order, our shared values and democracy itself,
and that must be reflected in sentencing,
particularly for those who are repeat
offenders.
“Many officers described feeling like they
had suffered an injustice twice - first at the
hands of the offender; and then again in court
when sentences were unduly lenient.”
After the bill, PFEW representatives,
including vice chair Calum Macleod, West
Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Nick
Smart and West Midlands Police Federation
interim chairman Tom Cuddeford, met with
MPs to discuss the aims of the campaign and
seek further support.
Mr Macleod said: “We are grateful to Holly
for giving her support to police officers, and
other emergency service workers, who are all
too often getting assaulted in the line of duty.
We do not believe that being hit, kicked, spat
at or shoved is ‘just part of the job’ and we are
delighted the bill passed its first reading. It
was great to see it get support from all sides
of the house.”
The bill was read for a second time in the
House on 24 March.
4

North Wales officer
featured in campaign
An assault on a North Wales PC who was
gripped in a headlock in an unprovoked
attack has been featured in a series of case
studies compiled by the Police Federation of
England and Wales as part of the Protect The
Protectors campaign.
The officer was responding to a call for
help from a colleague at the scene of a
possible robbery. There were about 30 people
gathered in a busy area. One person had been
detained in a police car and the officer and his
colleagues carried out a search.
Without warning, another man attacked
from behind, grabbing the officer in a
headlock. He managed to struggle free and
arrest the offender with the help of another
officer.
“It was about 10 seconds, which might
not seem that long – but when there are 29
other people witnessing what’s going on and
not helping, it can seem like forever,” said the
officer.
The attacker was later charged and
convicted of assault on the officer and his
colleague but, oddly, only had to pay
compensation to the other officer.
The PC said: “It’s not about the money but
it seems like because my assault didn’t leave
visible marks, it wasn’t treated as seriously. It’s
the principle of the conviction being made,
but no punishment; I’ve definitely lost faith in
the justice system a little.”
The attack has made the officer more
cautious and made him question his
decisions.
He said: “I blamed myself for letting it
happen. We all get taught not to turn our
backs on people, but whichever way I faced
someone was behind me.”
Forces ‘need Taser funding’
Police forces need to know how they will
be able to fund a new generation of
Taser, says Richard Eccles, Secretary of
North Wales Police Federation.
Richard has welcomed the
Government’s approval of the new X2
Taser which will replace the X26, parts for
which are becoming increasingly difficult
to find.
“It is great that the Government has
backed the new model but there may be a
cost implication for forces seeking to
replace the X26s and that could put them
out of reach for some,” says Richard.
“It is essential that police officers
have the right equipment to do their job
and Taser has been found to be an
essential bit of kit in this day and age as
they face the challenges of modern day
policing.
“We are waiting to hear if the
Government is going to provide the
funding needed for forces to be able to
upgrade their Tasers. We need clarity on
funding.”
Steve White, chairman of the Police
Federation of England and Wales, has
also expressed his concerns.
He said: “This is very much a case of
give with one hand and take with the
other. Beyond simply giving it its seal of
approval, the Government needs to offer
financial support to allow forces to
purchase the new device. You cannot put
a price on safety.”
He added: “We keep saying it, because
it’s true, demand on policing is both
changing and increasing. Where we have
to adapt to manage this change, we need
to equip those on the front-line with the
“We keep saying it, because it’s true, demand on
policing is both changing and increasing.
Where we have to adapt to manage this change,
we need to equip those on the front-line with
the right tools for the job, including Taser.
right tools for the job, including Taser.”
In January, 82 per cent of Federated
officers who responded to a national
survey said Taser should be issued to
more front-line officers.
The figures came a month after a
public survey showed 71 per cent of those
taking part considered it acceptable for
police officers to carry Taser when on
patrol.
Taser is also by far the preferred
option to firearms, with only a fifth of
officers surveyed by the Federation in
2016 having or wanting personal firearms
for use, and a third wanting or having
access to rapid response firearms teams.
From 1 April 2017, the Home Office
has stipulated that all use of force must
be recorded by officers in the same way,
regardless of where they work. Simon
Kempton, Federation lead on operational
policing, has welcomed the new process
in a blog which can be read in full at
www.polfed.org
He says: “When refuting accusations
levelled at us of using excessive force, we
will now be able to argue, with solid
evidence, that in comparison to the huge
numbers of incidents we attend, we rarely
have to resort to using force.
“Furthermore, the Federation will be
able to use this data to demonstrate that
if we are placed in a position when we
must use force that we always try to use
the lowest level of force available to us.”
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NWalesPoliceFed
5

Assaults on police:
The Seven-Point Plan
Assaults on officers are not just
part of the job. For too long the
general view seems to have been
that officers getting assaulted is a
day to day hazard of the role.
Added to that, historically,
officers often felt their own forces,
the CPS and the Government have
not taken the issue seriously. Many
believed assaults on police officers
were not treated as seriously as
assaults on members of the public.
However, things are changing
and it is now universally accepted
that assaults are NOT part of the
job, and that assaults on police
officers and police staff should be
treated correctly and
appropriately.
North Wales Police Federation,
in association with the Police and
Crime Commissioner, the Chief
Constable and UNISON have
published a seven-point plan
which details the process by
which ALL assaults on police
officers, police staff and police
volunteers should be dealt with.
This will ensure that all
assaults are taken seriously and
followed up by both the Force
and the Federation or UNISON.
The plan should be prominently
displayed in your place of work –
if you haven’t seen one, contact
your Federation rep who will
arrange to have one put up.
Richard Eccles, Secretary of
North Wales Police Federation,
said: “It is vital that this
campaign gets us to a point
where we are looking after our
colleagues in the best possible
way when they are assaulted.
“This does not end at the
Custody Desk. There will be a
concerted effort to ensure that
charges, convictions and
sentences reflect the extremely
serious nature of such assaults
on the police. In the future, I
hope to see legislative changes
to underpin the fact that
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SEVEN POINT PLAN
ASSAULT ON POLICE OFFICERS,
POLICE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
Assaults on officers, police staff and volunteers should be investigated with the same care, compassion, diligence and commitment
as an assault on a member of the public; and North Wales Police will seek to ensure appropriate redress through the criminal justice
system. This sounds obvious, but too often our response to assaults on members of the policing family can be rushed or treated as
secondary to other offences.
The Victim Code applies to all victims and therefore to police officers, police staff and volunteers. Complying with the victim code
means keeping the victim updated, discussing outcome options and taking into account the victim’s view before reaching an outcome.
This is essential because we don’t always get our response right, with police victims reporting dissatisfaction and even resentment.
The assaulted officer must never be the reporting officer for the investigation into their own assault. This is not appropriate on any
level and even taking statements from witnesses may be inappropriate. The integrity of an investigation and the impartiality of the
officer could be called into question, which could undermine the case and/or heighten the impact on the victim.
Victims recover better and more quickly with the right welfare and supervision. This also helps to avoid long-term negative
consequences. The assaulted person’s supervisor should meet with them as soon as it is practical to do so. The victim may downplay
the impact the assault has had on them and as such the supervisors must recognise the potential effects of the incident and engage
Staff Association support for the victim.
The victim’s supervisor must ensure that the area SMT is informed to provide continuity of welfare support. The Police Federation or
Unison will also provide valuable additional support to the victim and should be advised of the incident as soon as possible.
The assaulted officer and the supervisor must complete form A879 - Report of an Injury (on or off duty) It will not always be possible
for the victim to do this, where this is the case another person can complete the report in consultation with their injured colleague.
The staff association will also provide the victim with details about advising the Dept. of Work and Pensions (DWP) and give advice
regarding civil claims/CICA.
To achieve a successful prosecution, the best evidence must be presented. You should use a victim personal statement and whoever
is investigating the assault needs to fully understand the ‘points to prove’ for assaults on police officers, police staff and volunteers.
An officer’s self-written statements, provided straight after the events, could be made in haste and might not contain all of the
key facts.
assaults upon the police are unacceptable to the vast majority of
civilised society.”
The plan shows that the Force will ensure these assaults are taken seriously. It gives support for all staff who have been assaulted,
and also gives advice and guidance to line managers about what to do if a member of their staff has been assaulted.
6

‘Good’ rating for
Force in HMIC review
North Wales Police’s effectiveness at
keeping people safe and reducing crime is
good, according to the latest report from
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
(HMIC).
HMIC carried out assessments at all 43
forces across England and Wales in 2016 as
part of its PEEL (Police Effectiveness
Efficiency and Legitimacy) inspections.
HMIC judged that North Wales Police:
l Is ‘good’ at preventing crime, tackling
anti-social behaviour and keeping
people safe;
l Is ‘good’ at how it investigates crime and
reduces re-offending;
l ‘Requires improvement’ in how it
protects those who are vulnerable from
harm, and supporting victims; and
l
Is ‘good’ at how it tackles serious and
organised crime.
The results have been welcomed by
Richard Eccles, Secretary of North Wales
Police Federation.
“It is pleasing to see that the Force is
performing well in three out of the four
categories assessed during this inspection,”
he said.
“I think this is testimony to the hardworking
police officers and staff who day in,
day out, despite the pressures they face due
to the cuts programme, do their very best to
deliver an effective policing service for our
communities.
“Of course, there is a cost to this.
Demand has not fallen despite a reduction
in officer and staff numbers and, as a result,
we have seen an increase in stress in our
workforce and that is causing some serious
mental health issues.”
The Federation Secretary has also
expressed his concern that the Force has
been judged as not providing a good service
in terms of how it protects the vulnerable
and supports victims of crime.
“I think we are all aware that this is an
area of our work where it is important that
we get things right,” says Richard, “We will
be working with the Force to see where
improvements can be made. But, with our
resources already stretched, it is going to be
challenging to increase capacity in specialist
teams as HMIC suggests.”
HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy
Williams acknowledged that the Force has
made improvements since its last PEEL
inspection in 2015.
“The Force continues to prevent crime
and anti-social behaviour effectively, with
some good work being undertaken with
respect to how it consults with the public to
understand the threats and risks faced by
local people,” she explained.
“The Force can demonstrate a good
understanding of the communities it serves,
including some which are hard to reach. It is
aware of some complex, emerging or hidden
threats, and works with partner
organisations to protect the public. The
Force could further improve in this area by
evaluating and sharing effective practice
routinely, both internally and with partners.
“I am pleased that since 2015 the Force
has improved how it investigates crime and
reduces re-offending. The Force provides a
good initial response to victims contacting
the police, as well as during subsequent
investigations. Officers at the first point of
contact identify and prioritise crime scenes,
and capture forensic evidence.
“The Force allocates the majority of
investigations to appropriately skilled
officers and staff, but on some occasions
officers without the necessary skills and
experience are allocated high risk and
complex cases. I have identified this as an
area that requires improvement for the
Force.
“The Force is also generally good at how
it pursues suspects and manages offenders
and reduces re-offending with effective
offender management. I would like to see it
improve its approach to managing foreign
criminals.”
While expressing disappointment that
the Force has not made enough progress in
improving how it protects vulnerable people
from harm the inspector acknowledged it
had improved the way in which it identifies
and assesses vulnerable victims at the first
point of contact and allocates the right
response.
She explained: “It also has a good
understanding of vulnerability in the area. It
is let down by some response officers failing
to safeguard victims properly, and the fact
that on too many occasions specialist
investigations are allocated to staff without
necessary training or experience to deal
with the complex cases of this nature. To
prevent this from happening, I would like to
see the Force improve the capacity of
specialist teams.
“Overall, the Force is good at tackling
serious and organised crime. Although the
Force has an inconsistent approach to
responding to known organised crime
groups, it works well with the Regional
Organised Crime Unit and works hard to
deter people from becoming involved in
serious and organised crime.”
www.nwpolfed.org
Did you know?
When you notify the
Force of a change in your
circumstances, the Force
doesn’t let us know.
Keep us up to date
When you move
When you have a new
phone number
When you have a new
email address
When your
circumstances change
When you keep us up
to date, we can keep
you up to date.
North Wales Police Federation
www.nwpolfed.org
7

Sergeants say...
365 days of representing,
influencing and negotiating
By Mark Jones,
Central Sergeants’
Representative
2016 was quite a
year! Who would
have thought that
the UK would
actually vote to
leave the European
Union, that the
heavyweight of the business world, Donald
J. Trump would be elected the 45th
President of the United States, and that
we’d lose so many amazing stars of the
entertainment world?
Looking closer to home, and specifically,
the North Wales Police Federation, 2016 was
just as busy as ever and in this edition of
‘Your Voice’, I thought it would be worth
describing some of the work - just a
snapshot - that has gone on in 2016.
The Force, including its most senior
management, recognises the importance of
having the Federation involved and
consulted on major policy and procedural
changes. This ensures that decisions taken
by the organisation are subject to intense
scrutiny to safeguard officers’ wellbeing and
welfare.
Last year, the Federation attended more
than 480 meetings. These included, but this
list is not exhaustive: promotions appeals;
Ethics, Leadership and Culture; Wellbeing;
Screening Panels; Force Executive Board;
Financial Savings; Misconduct; Grievance;
Welsh; Tactical Citizens in Policing; PSD
meetings; Employment Tribunals; funerals;
Member Services, Redeployment and
Recruitments Board; Missing Persons, CSE
and Modern Slavery. More so than ever, it’s
vital that your voice is represented within
the organisation.
Additionally, the Federation in North
Wales arranged 45 surgeries covering wills,
family law and other areas that required
specialist legal advice.
The Force stopped providing preretirement
courses a few years ago, leaving
a huge void for officers who were
approaching a massive milestone in their
working lives. The Federation took on this
responsibility and in 2016 four courses were
held, all of which fully booked. These
courses, with guest speakers, ensured
officers and staff approaching retirement
had the best possible advice for when that
last shift had finished.
On the flip side, we gave seven
presentations to new recruits who were
embarking on their new careers. It is vitally
important from the start that officers know
that the Federation is there for them and
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8

how they can be best supported in their
career.
Thankfully, the Federation is more than
just representing officers in troubled times.
The Federation is a significant driver in
recognising the amazing work officers
undertake every single day plus highlighting
outstanding achievements.
In 2016, the North Wales Police
Federation Community Service Awards
showcased the incredible work of three
members: PC Gemma Poulton, PC Sue
Carrington and, the 2016 winner, DC Tim
Bird who was recognised for his voluntary
work as a member of the Ogwen Mountain
Rescue Organisation. Sergeant Iwan Owen
and Constable Elwyn Williams were
honoured at the 2016 national Police
Bravery Awards in London.
Officer welfare and safety is at the top of
the agenda for the Federation so keep an
eye out for the #ProtectTheProtectors
national campaign being led by the Police
Federation of England and Wales. No officer
should ever be victim of an assault or injury,
and assaults should never be viewed as ‘just
part of the job’ - though we must also be
realistic and understand the dangers of
policing - and there must be serious
consequences for offenders who assault
officers.
For too long we have been
systematically let down by governments,
the justice system and even our own
organisations when it comes to officer
assaults. Now is the time when we need to
be vocal and say ‘enough is enough’!
To ensure that injured officers get the
best possible chances of recovery our
partners at the Police Treatment Centres
(PTC) step in and in 2016 they cared for 87
North Wales officers. The work of the PTC is
incredible and if you don’t pay in to the fund
then please get in touch with the Federation
office for more information.
If you question whether you can afford
to be part of the Group Insurance Scheme,
my question to you is: ‘Can you afford to
NOT be a member’? The list of benefits is
extensive and much more than just a life
insurance policy. For example, in 2016, over
280 breakdowns were attended by RAC,
travel insurance claims totalling a whopping
£42,222 were paid out to members, personal
accident claims to the value of £5,793 were
45 surgeries
(wills, family law etc)
were scheduled.
365DAYS OF
NORTH WALES POLICE
FEDERATION
2016 AT A GLANCE...
The Federation Office Team
attended over 480 meetings.
87 NWP officers attended
The Police Treatment Centres.
1 Community
Service Award.
7 presentations were made to
new recruits (police officers
and PCSO’s).
4 Pre-Retirement courses
were held – all were fully booked.
1 Finance day was held in St Asaph
(where members services were available
to talk to officers and staff for the day).
In addition, reps attended conferences/meetings for Roads
Policing, Custody, Detectives Forum, Conference, National
Police Memorial Day, Bravery Awards etc.
settled plus a number of critical illness
claims were finalised. I seriously recommend
if you are not a member of the Group
Insurance Scheme you please contact the
Federation office for details on joining.
Remember, it’s open to police officers and
police staff.
There’s no doubt 2016 has been a
turbulent time for the Police Federation
nationally and, rightly or wrongly, the
Federation has taken quite a kicking from
some quarters. I can only speak from my
own perspective and as someone who is
very much affected by the pension changes.
I still see passionate Federation
representatives and staff who are genuinely
trying to get the best protection, the best
conditions and the best deal overall for the
hard-working, sacrificing and dedicated
“
For too long we have been systematically let down
by governments, the justice system and even our
own organisations when it comes to officer
assaults. Now is the time when we need to be vocal
and say ‘enough is enough’!
Regarding Group Insurance,
there were...
Over 280 breakdowns were
attended by RAC.
Personal Accident
claims totalling £5,793.
Travel claims to the
value of over £42,200
were settled.
2 Critical Illness claims
£6,000 each.
And sadly 2 Death Claims to
the value of £55,000.
officers across the length and breadth of the
country.
Looking ahead to this year, you can be
guaranteed that in North Wales we will
continue to represent, continue to influence
and continue to negotiate on your behalf,
however, this is a two-way street. In order
for us to fight for you, we need you to talk to
us. If there is a risk identified, submit that
HS1; if a colleague is injured, however minor,
submit that injury on duty; if you’re subject
to unwarranted pressure or unjust
treatment from a manager, let us know at
the earliest opportunity and we will engage.
Don’t suffer in silence; don’t acquiesce if it’s
not right, do something about it.
I encourage you all to engage with your
representatives and take an active interest
in the Federation. If you don’t know who
your rep is or for any further information
visit the North Wales Federation website
(www.nwpolfed.org), check out our
Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and join
our MSG Federation mailgroup.
I wish you all a safe and successful 2017
and, in the words of the great Jerry Springer,
‘Till next time, take care of yourselves and
each other’.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NWalesPoliceFed
9

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10
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nspectors’ insight
Inspectors’ insight
Spring is welcome,
new bail laws not so
By Paul McKeown
Chairman of the
North Wales
Inspectors’ Branch
Board
It’s nice to see the
dark evenings are
slowly fading away
and Spring is
nearly here. I’m
looking forward to
getting back into my garden.
As I mentioned last time, I am still not
looking forward to the new, ill-conceived (in
my opinion), bail legislation which came into
effect on 3 April.
I have real reservations about the
detrimental impact on police time these new
procedures will have. I know my bosses are
working tirelessly to try to make the process
as gentle on us as possible and that is much
appreciated. But it is still going to be another
administrative burden yet, from what I can
see, there will be absolutely no gain to
anyone other than criminals. It certainly
won’t help victims.
However, the changes are coming and we
now have to get on with it. Custody
sergeants, all NWP inspectors and the senior
officers above us have all been provided with
training dates.
As I type, I’ve not been on my course yet
but I am aware that it will be absolutely
essential. So, if any of you reading this have
been offered the training but haven’t done it
yet, I would advise you do so soon. It will be
interesting to see how we all fare with the
changes.
Talking about training, I’m due my annual
PSU ‘beasting’ later this month. I’m getting
on now and so it doesn’t fill me with glee the
same as it did when I started it in 1990.
One thing I am concerned about is the
fact that, despite having highlighted this a
number of times since I transferred here in
2002, the cricket box provided as part of my
PSU kit won’t stay in place; NWP still won’t
provide me with the necessary ‘strap’ which
would hold the box in place nicely.
My previous force provided said strap and
so it was a bit of a shock when I was told
NPW didn’t. I have never actually understood
why. The advice given to me to ensure that
the box stays in place has been to make sure I
wear two pairs of tight underpants…
As an inspector you tend to run around
with a round shield. This doesn’t offer much
protection. I won’t wear two pairs of
underpants so, apart from when I am being
petrol-bombed, I won’t wear the box as
frankly it hurts if I do and I can’t run with it
on.
In my previous force, this was never an
issue as I was provided with the necessary
equipment. Last year, as I ran around I
attracted, again, a number of wooden blocks
by the ‘rioters’.
I normally hold my shield low to protect
my unprotected ‘bits’ but being older, I’ve
become slower and so I was too late to
prevent a brick hitting me right where it
hurts and down I went.
Ten minutes later when I was able to
stand up I re-joined my laughing colleagues.
On reflection, I cannot be the only officer to
have been hit in that location and not been
wearing a box; or perhaps everyone is
wearing two pairs of pants?
I did submit a Health and Safety form and
“
I believe that that the Federation has been unfairly
picked on by the Government. I do hope we won’t
take this lying down and put in a legal challenge as
soon as possible. This is the thin edge of the wedge. If
they do it to us, who will be next? The Fire Brigades
Union?
my line manager, when she stopped
laughing, duly supported it and fully backed
my request that straps are issued. That was
last August. I’ve yet to hear anything as to
whether this will happen.
The senior officers I have since spoken to
have all agreed that straps should be issued.
But I would imagine if I am the only person
who is raising this subject as an issue then it
might be difficult to persuade someone who
has never been a PSU officer and so has no
idea of the dangers faced in training and real
life. I hope NWP sorts this soon.
As I said earlier, April brings new
unwelcome legislation. It also brings the
Freedom of Information Act (FOI) to the
Federation. I was actually stunned when I
heard this. I understand the police service is a
public body, but I can’t get my head around
the fact that the Government has decided
that the Federation is as well.
I don’t think this is fair. We are not a
union and so have little in the way of rights,
but can you imagine how the unions would
take it if they were told they would be subject
to FOI? They wouldn’t wear it. It seems we
have to.
I find this ridiculous. Like you, I pay my
own private money (subscriptions) to the
Federation. How the money is spent is mine
and other members’ business. It is a private
issue between me and the people we have
voted to represent us. It is not the public’s
money so why should they be able to ask
what the Fed does with it? Could they ask a
union what they do with theirs? No, of course
not.
How long before the act is used to
undermine the Federation’s mission to
protect their members? It won’t be long. I
have seen many different requests made to
the police service and many of them are later
used to put the boot in.
I believe that that the Federation has
been unfairly picked on by the Government. I
do hope we won’t take this lying down and
put in a legal challenge as soon as possible.
This is the thin edge of the wedge. If they do
it to us, who will be next? The Fire Brigades
Union?
Website: www.nwpolfed.org
11

Is it getting hot in
here or is it just me?
By Kim Owen,
Chair, Sergeants’
Branch Board
Over the last year I
have attended
several meetings in
my Federation role
as Equality Lead
where the subject of
the menopause has
appeared on the agendas both nationally
and locally.
Menopause can, in fact, be classed as a
disability under the Equality Act as it can last
for an average of four years and there have
been several stated cases around
discrimination in the workplace towards
women who are going through this period in
their life.
As we are all facing having to work longer
at some point most women will go through
this huge change in their life while working
within the police service.
It’s always appeared to be a taboo subject
that everyone avoids talking about but, as
times are changing, we have to start the
conversations and raise awareness around
what the menopause is, how it will impact on
us all and how we can support people
through it.
I will first look at the issues of women’s
menopause before looking at the male
menopause.
Menopause is different for each woman.
Some women may suffer severe symptoms
while others could find themselves enjoying
a new sense of freedom and energy.
Menopause is a normal part of life, the
average age for it to start is at around 50 but
some women may go through it in their 40s
and some may be even younger. The
symptoms, caused by changing levels of the
hormones oestrogen and progesterone, can
begin several years earlier for some and can
last for months or years after.
Changes include:
l Less regular periods, shorter or longer
periods, and more or less bleeding than
usual.
l Hot flushes. These sudden feelings of
heat affect the upper body, causing the
face and neck to become flushed. You may
also see red blotches on the chest, arms,
and back.
l Night sweats which can interfere with
sleep.
l Problems affecting the genital area
– including pain during intercourse, more
infections and trouble with bladder
control.
l Insomnia/fatigue - In addition to night
sweats, some women find it harder in
general to get a good night’s sleep at
midlife.
l Some women become less interested in
sex and can find it painful, while others
may feel more free to enjoy it.
l Some women become more moody or
irritable around the time of menopause.
And some may suffer anxiety and
palpitations.
l Loss of muscle and gaining fat or
becoming thinner, as well as stiff, achy
joints and a wider waistline.
l Loss of skin tone which also increases
wrinkles. Dry skin and dry eyes are other
effects that may be suffered.
l Many people find that their memory
changes with age. Normal memory
problems are short-term and relatively
minor (like not being able to immediately
recall a familiar word or occasionally
misplacing the car keys).
There are also certain health concerns
that can accompany the change as oestrogen
levels decrease and other changes related to
aging occur. Two common concerns for
women include osteoporosis and heart
disease.
Osteoporosis. At the time of menopause,
women may be at risk of osteoporosis, a
condition where bones become weak and
break easily. The body continually breaks
down old bone and replaces it with new,
healthy bone. Because oestrogen helps
control bone loss, when you lose oestrogen
during menopause, the body isn’t able to
replace as much bone as it loses.
Heart disease. A woman’s risk of heart
disease increases after menopause. This is
likely the result of changing oestrogen levels
and the aging process. Factors associated
with increasing age – like weight-gain and
high blood pressure – raise your risk of heart
disease.
As well as all the physical effects, there
are also psychological effects including the
loss of a sense of control, feeling increasingly
emotional, feeling less feminine, low
self-esteem, embarrassment, poor
concentration, feeling ‘on the edge’, loss of
confidence and panic attacks.
Male menopause
This is also called andropause. It describes a
drop in testosterone levels that many men
experience when they get older. The same
group of symptoms is also known as
testosterone deficiency, androgen deficiency,
and late-onset hypogonadism.
Male menopause differs from female
menopause in several ways. For one thing,
not all men experience it. For another, it
doesn’t involve a complete shutdown of the
reproductive organs. However, sexual
complications may arise as a result of lowered
hormone levels.
Declining testosterone levels can cause
many symptoms. It can cause physical, sexual
and psychological problems. They typically
worsen as you get older. They can also
include:
l Low energy
l Depression or sadness
l Decreased motivation
l Lowered self-confidence
l Difficulty concentrating
l Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
l Increased body fat
l Reduced muscle mass and feelings of
physical weakness
l Gynecomastia, or development of breasts
l Decreased bone density
l Erectile dysfunction
l
l
Reduced libido
Infertility.
They typically affect men at the same age
as women entering menopause.
A doctor can take a sample of blood to
test testosterone levels to help diagnose
male menopause but, unless it is causing
severe hardship or disrupting your life, most
men will probably manage the symptoms
without treatment.
The most common type of treatment for
symptoms of male menopause is making
healthier lifestyle choices. For example, a
doctor might advise eating a healthy diet,
getting regular exercise, getting enough
12

sleep, reducing stress.
So what are we doing in North Wales Police?
In NWP we currently have 1,233 women
(as at 31/03/16) – 642 of these are over 40
representing 52 per cent of the total number
of women.
Around 62 per cent of women between 40
and 65 experience symptoms (62 per cent of
642 = 398 women in NWP).
This means 32.3 per cent (398) of the
female workforce in NWP are potentially
experiencing symptoms.
NWP is involved with a national
Menopause Action Group (MAG), which is
‘responsible for setting and driving the local,
regional and national direction and strategy
for managing issues involving the menopause
with the police service’.
NWP is looking to further support women
experiencing symptoms of menopause by
holding its own Force level MAG.
The NWP MAG will seek to:
l Provide initial support to staff and officers
who are experiencing symptoms that
may be affected by their working
conditions.
l Establish a supportive network, with
knowledge of conditions and adverse
effects of the menopause.
l Identify Divisional representatives who
will act as the link between divisions/
l
business areas and the group.
Assist in Force-wide education of all
officers and staff.
So what else can we do?
Get better informed. We need to ensure
officers and staff, especially line managers,
have an understanding of the menopause
and its effects.
Ensure we do not discriminate against
officers and staff – both male and female –
because they are menopausal.
Show respect and understanding towards
colleagues who are going through the
menopause.
Start a conversation at work and allow
people to speak up about their symptoms and
their fears without feeling guilty, ashamed or
embarrassed.
Offer reassurance and support. Many
women lose self- esteem during the
menopause.
Become a ‘Champion’ at work and join the
NWP MAG group if you feel you can support
others.
Helpful websites
www.womens-health-concern.org/help/focus
on/focus_dietmenopause.html
www.womens-health-concern.org/help/
factsheets/fs_menopause.html
www.project-aware.org/Managing/exercise.
shtml
www.menopausematters.co.uk/menopause.
php
Points of contact for the NWP MAG :
Lee Bailey 04974
Emma Naughton 88904
Joy Tipton 04046
Pre-retirement seminars:
dates set for 2017
North Wales Police Federation, in association with
Spillane & Co Wealth Management, is running four
pre-retirement seminars in 2017.
Retirement is one of the biggest
lifestyle changes any of us will face. As we
are all living longer, it is becoming
increasingly important that officers and
staff prepare effectively for retirement,
both financially and in terms of lifestyle
provision.
Providing assistance to help you plan
for this transition is important, the
seminars help people make better
informed decisions for a more secure and
rewarding retirement.
To that end, the Federation, working in
partnership with Spillane & Co Wealth,
introduced a new style two day preretirement
seminar for police officers and
police staff in 2014. It’s proved to be very
popular, with seminars being fully
subscribed.
These two days enable participants to
consider aspects of life upon retirement
and the kind of adjustments they might
make after they retire. To help in this
process, invited speakers lead relaxed
discussions on important topics on
retirement-related themes.
The seminar helps you to plan more
effectively and manage the key stages of
the process, with the needs of the
participants of each particular seminar
being the key driver. It’s very interactive,
and our aim is to get the answers to your
questions to help you make the most of
your retirement.
The programme also provides an
opportunity to acquire useful insights into
the challenges, as well as the new openings,
facing those about to retire.
The two days cover:
l Preparing for the next stage of your life
l Adopting a different lifestyle and
considering further employment
l Marketing yourself for the future
l A healthier retirement
l Your pension scheme
l Financial planning
l Investments
l Putting yours affairs in order
l The National Association of Retired
l
Police Officers (NARPO)
Dealing with your questions and
concerns.
To promote an informal atmosphere
and encourage group discussion, numbers
are limited to 36.
If you’re retiring in the next two years,
and would like to secure a place, email
FedAdmin@nthwales.pnn.police.uk
The next courses available are:
Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 June 2017
Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 September
2017
Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 November
2017.
The June seminar will be held at St
Asaph DHQ and the September and
November seminars at Force Headquarters.
Twitter: @NWalesPoliceFed 13

‘A true gentleman’
Police family gather to pay respects to retired
Chief Constable David Owen CBE, QPM
Family, friends and police officers and staff of
all ranks and grades gathered at Holy Trinity
church, Llandudno, to pay tribute to former
Chief Constable David Owen at a service of
remembrance.
The number of the police family in
attendance highlighted the respect felt for Mr
Owen.
Mr Owen died on 24 January at the age of
85 after a long illness.
Born in 1931 in Betws y Coed, he was the
son of a police sergeant. He served with the
Metropolitan, Lincolnshire, Merseyside and
Dorset Police before returning to North
Wales.
He served as Chief Constable of North
Wales Police from 1982 to 1994 and was
also appointed as the president of ACPO in
1990.
Married to Patricia, they had a daughter,
Gail, and sons Philip and Mark.
Gareth Pritchard, Deputy Chief
Constable of North Wales Police, said:
“David will be remembered for his strong
and effective leadership.
“I was proud to see the police family
attend in large numbers to pay tribute to
our former Chief Constable.”
The service of remembrance was held
on 9 February.
Tributes to the former Chief Constable
included:
“A true gentleman.”
“An honour and privilege to have served under
him.”
“Superb leader who commanded respect and
a true gent.”
Officers lined the path to the church.
14

Officers acted as pallbearers.
Retired officers were among those honouring the former Chief Constable.
With a Sea Cadet officer is Sgt Parry.
Representing
l
Negotiating
l
Influencing
15

Chasing the art of the
possible with digital evidence
By Andrew Lohman, Project Manager in the
Corporate Programme Office
Writing an engaging and interesting article
about technology in policing and changes
in the criminal justice process that isn’t
bedtime reading for an insomniac is a tall
order.
Behind all the incomprehensible
technical babble and acronyms, there is an
important objective and purpose which will
hopefully help to make some of our most
basic investigative tasks a little easier. If you
just don’t get technology and are frustrated
by some of the barriers we presently have, I
encourage you to read on.
Policing on occasion has been at the
forefront of using technology, from humble
beginnings with the first radio equipped
patrol cars in the 1920s to advances we
now take for granted, like computer-aided
dispatch and Automatic Number Plate
Recognition.
In most cases, policing has simply
adapted everyday technology for its own
purpose, I’m thinking of body worn cameras
and smartphones. Our next likely advance
will be into using drones equipped with
thermal imaging technology to help locate
missing persons. This has great potential to
help us safeguard vulnerable people.
Yes, it certainly is great to be at the
cutting edge of what technology has to
offer and to be chasing the art of the
possible. Yet sometimes what seems to be
the most basic and repeated of tasks in
policing, e.g. gathering and working with
digital evidence, still present a real
challenge.
Take for example how we use closed
circuit television (CCTV) evidence during an
investigation. The nature of this evidence
means it arrives in many different digital
formats. This is due to the wide range and
non-standardisation of
recording systems on the
market.
We face a
complicated challenge to
simply play the footage
and interpret it, in
certain cases specialist
help is required from the
Imaging Department.
Given the volume of
physical media involved
in some investigations, it
can be difficult to
physically manage it all
and then produce what
is needed at a later
stage. When required at
key points, like for use in
interview, often we have
to physically transport it around which
incurs a time delay or worse a dedicated car
journey just to deliver it.
This seems a strange practice in 2017
given when at home we can stream a vast
library of movies and content on demand
from our armchair with no physical DVD
required.
We also face the prospect of not being
able to share the actual footage with the
CPS for charging advice. We have to rely on
describing the footage hoping that the
impact isn’t lost in translation. Our last
involvement could be being called to attend
court, often our criminal justice colleagues
have the same struggles we do to make the
footage play and rely on us to assist. This is
despite us often writing instructions for
them to follow. In this scenario, I also failed
to mention the multiple failed visits we
initially incurred trying to pick up the
evidence in person.
This seems like a process of work
arounds, inefficiency and barriers to which
The honest truth is that working with CCTV evidence is far
from our only challenge. Technology is changing the nature
of crimes and incidents we investigate. We have many more
investigative opportunities from digital devices including an
increasing volume of publicly captured evidence.
we should be actively using technology to
solve, giving us more time to focus on things
that matter more.
The honest truth is that working with
CCTV evidence is far from our only challenge.
Technology is changing the nature of crimes
and incidents we investigate. We have many
more investigative opportunities from
digital devices including an increasing
volume of publicly captured evidence. The
art of the possible in this case would be
more tools in our digital evidence toolbox to
gather, view, collaborate on with colleagues
and make evidence digitally available on
demand for interviews and the criminal
justice process.
If you hadn’t guessed it, this is the part
where we really need technology to work for
us. I say this because in these times of
austerity, all this will most likely need to be
achieved without a significant increase in
specialist resources. The solution therefore
needs to be simple and intuitive.
At the same time unique to our policing
world, many challenges arise like the safety
of our own computer network from
untrusted sources and the minefield which
is evidential continuity. Working with digital
evidence also needs the standards required
by the Forensic Services Regulator to be
upheld. All these challenges need to be
unpicked and resolved to move forward.
The next complication is that this is
something we have been mandated to do
and we have a clear timetable in which to
achieve it, currently set for late 2018.
16

Digitisation of the criminal justice process
has been on the national agenda for a
number of years.
The Digital First Programme led by Chief
Constable Giles York and the Policing Vision
2025 have set some defined standards for
policing to achieve. Alongside this, our
criminal justice partners, fresh from having
experienced the benefits of digital files, are
increasingly keen for the remainder of the
process to be fully digitalised.
Some very difficult and complex
decisions lay ahead, including some around
technology and committing ourselves to
significant future expenditure, the cost of
which will likely exceed the benefits
available in return. My own view, having
seen digitisation occur in the criminal
justice process up to this point, is that
national expectation will force us to act.
Unfortunately, policing exists at the very
sharp end of the criminal justice process and
is often mandated to make changes which
benefit our partners at a later stage. In this
case, I hope with the right processes and
enabling technology, we can ensure
digitisation benefits us practically as much
as it does our partners further downstream.
Lastly, we cannot stand still as the public
will increasingly expect us to deal with
them digitally, as they are accustomed to
from dealing with the likes of Amazon and
others. When I last renewed my car
insurance online, I had to scan in and upload
evidence of my no claims history. It was
easier than writing a letter or picking up the
phone and I could do it when I had the time
outside the working day. These types of
technology could help to reduce demands
on us and also work better for the public
and businesses.
So what have we been doing so far and
why raise this now? The Digital First Project
chaired by Chief Superintendent Neill
Anderson, closely supported by Julie Foster
as Head of the Administration of Justice
Department and Keith Williams from ICT,
have been progressing the technology and
new business processes we require.
By the time you read this article, an
operational pilot using innovative
technology will have commenced in selected
sites to digitise and streamline our use of
digital evidence. In short, we have developed
a response to the problems identified based
on learning from operational staff. For those
taking part in the pilot, please accept my
gratitude in advance for your feedback and
assistance.
The pilot will provide the following:
l A dedicated workstation to process any
type of digital evidence. This will allow
simple viewing, editing with notation
and safe uploading to our network
associated against an RMS occurrence.
Importantly this system has the
l
capability to re-format originally supplied
CCTV into openly playable formats for use
during investigation and in court.
A Force-wide accessible repository system
for all evidence types. This will store
evidence obtained from the workstation
process. It will enable the easy on demand
recall and sharing of digital evidence
internally. The purpose will be to provide
an early experience how digital working
will operate.
If you want to know more about the
process, the latest information can be found
via the intranet by searching ‘Digital North
Wales’.
Looking ahead, the project is also working
to address the remaining requirements of the
national Digital First Initiative. These include
the ability to rapidly request and obtain
evidence online from the public and
businesses. Also solutions to share evidence
digitally with external partners for aspects
like charging advice.
I can honestly tell you this remains a
challenging but worthwhile piece of work.
Whether these changes excite you or not,
after all this is a very dry subject, the future
will be different and your input to help shape
this is valued. I hope this article provides a
worthwhile insight and, for those of you who
managed to remain awake while reading, well
done.
Widows are being unfairly treated
Pension rules for police widows in England
and Wales have been called ‘antiquated’
and ‘manifestly unfair’.
The comments were made by Mel
Jones, Assistant Secretary of North Wales
Police Federation, who has been
interviewed by BBC Wales about the
dilemma currently faced by some police
widows.
Under the 1987 pension rules, some
widows and widowers can lose their
pension entitlement if they co-habit or
marry a new partner. This leaves an
agonising decision for many, who can be
left having to choose between financial
security or their happiness.
Mel has called for regulations to be
brought into line with Northern Ireland,
which now grants all police widows a
pension for life.
“The present system is antiquated, it
needs reforming. It’s clearly unfair for
individuals to be treated differently
depending on which police service an
officer served in,” he said.
“Sadly, it’s widows or widowers who are
made to make a very difficult choice. If they
want to move on, re-marry or live with
somebody, they face losing their police
pension which can cause real hardship.”
Debra Poole, from Sarnau, Ceredigion, was
widowed when her police officer husband,
Russell, died nearly 15 years ago.
She receives about £900 each month and
said she ‘could not have existed’ without the
pension as she was left to bring up their three
young children on her own.
She explains: “If I choose to find another
person, to love again, then my money will be
taken from me.
“My husband did work, he retired, he
quite often put his life on the line for the job.
He loved his job, but he also paid 11 per cent
of his pay every month for his pension and for
his family.
“So I do feel that this is wrong. We’re only
seeking parity with the Northern Ireland
ladies - our sisters we call them.”
Fellow widower Kate Hall felt so strongly
about the issue she set up an online petition,
calling for police widows pensions to be
granted for life.
While Kate was initially able to claim a
widow’s pension, in 2001 she had to stop
claiming as she decided to move in with a
new partner. The rules currently state you
cannot claim a widow’s pension if living with
a new partner.
Frustrated by the unfairness of the
dilemma she found herself in, during the
summer of 2014 she launched an online
petition in which she discovered she was
not alone in her feelings as the signatures
now stand at more than 115,000.
In 2015, the rules were changed by the
UK Government to allow widows of police
officers killed in the line of duty to receive
their pensions only if they remarried or
moved in with a partner after 1 April that
year.
But Kate, and now Mel, are calling for
widows or widowers who lost a spouse
from 1 January 1989 to be paid
retrospectively, like they are in Northern
Ireland.
A Home Office spokesman said: “This
Government has made clear its
commitment to ensuring that public service
pensions are affordable, sustainable and
fair.
“That is why we brought regulations
into force at the start of last year which
mean that widows, widowers and surviving
civil partners of police officers who die on
duty in England and Wales, no longer lose
their survivors’ benefits if they re-marry,
form a civil partnership or co-habit.”
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NWalesPoliceFed 17

New facilities on track
The new police station in Llandudno is currently on programme and is set to go live in
November. As you can see from Photographs 1 and 2, the build is going well.
In Llay, the demolition of the former Sharp warehouse is nearly complete. The waste
will be sorted and recycled wherever possible, with the existing slab being crushed and
used on site as a piling mat and then later for hardcore for the external site works.
Works have commenced on the staff car park, which will be used as the site
compound by Galliford Try. The pre-cast working drawings have been completed and
work will soon start on the production of the cells.
And finally, the ecologist is really happy with the efforts to preserve the bee orchid
and rare dingy skipper butterfly, as well as mitigation works to protect the newts (Photos
3, 4 and 5).
We’ll keep you updated with how both projects are progressing.
3
1
4
5
2
18

Roads policing comes under
scrutiny at annual conference
By Barry Andrews
Government ministers, chief constables and
good old police constables gathered for two
days of chat about roads policing.
The location was a hotel in Hinckley,
Leicestershire, and on the agenda at this
year’s Police Federation Roads Policing
Conference, funnily enough, was roads
policing – from using phones while driving to
fatal collisions and charity awareness days.
The two-day event was opened by Jayne
Willetts, the roads policing lead for the
Federation, who highlighted the drop in roads
policing officers in England and Wales.
Current figures show that there are less than
5,000 dedicated RPU officers patrolling the
roads and she described how the thin blue
line is now almost invisible.
She then asked if using a mobile phone
while driving was as socially unacceptable as
drink driving. The discussion that followed
suggested it most definitely was.
Next up was Suzette Davenport, Chief
Constable of Gloucestershire Police and NPCC
lead for roads policing, who opened by
quoting the drop in fatal collisions between
2011 and 2016. The figures show a decrease
from 1,732 to 1,543 in that time. While they
have reached a plateau, they are down by 45
per cent from 10 years ago.
Andrew Jones, transport minister,
addressed conference and spoke about the
increase in the penalty for mobile phone
offences and the massive change in
detections that has resulted from the Section
5A drug driving legislation.
In 2014 there were 879 drug driving
offences. In 2016 there were 8,500. He said
that an extra £1 million has been made
available to assist with impairment training
and he also pointed out that drink related
road deaths are down by 80 per cent since the
drink drive legislation was introduced.
The speakers then took part in a question
and answer session, with a great question
coming in for Mr Jones, asking him whether
the definition of using a mobile phone while
driving could be changed as forces are having
to prosecute drivers for not being in proper
control of a vehicle when the evidence is not
sufficient for using a mobile phone.
Mr Jones said that the legislation is more
than 30-years-old so he is willing to re-visit
the wording and update it if it is necessary.
He was also asked about the sentencing
powers for causing death by dangerous
driving as not being fit for purpose. In reply,
he said that consultation on this matter was
due to take place.
Everyone was urged to sign up to Don’t
Stream And Drive Day on 2 March. This
dangerous activity has become more popular
and could easily lead to serious consequences.
Mark Aldred QC spoke about the
continued problem of officers being pursued
through the courts for driving offences
relating to pursuits or response drives. He
highlighted that exemptions go out of the
window where collisions occur and
sometimes they do even when there is no
collision, if the driving of the officer is deemed
to have fallen far below that of a careful and
competent driver.
Both he and Tim Rogers of the Federation
have been pushing for a change in the
wording which would take into account
officer driver training. As it stands the law
says that it should not be taken into account
in any case. He urged all officers to consider
the consequences as they could not only lose
their job and pension but also their liberty if
the court found them guilty.
Chief Constable Davenport said that
officers cannot be given the authority to drive
dangerously. It was pointed out to her that
this was never the case. Mr Aldred merely
wanted their driver training to be recognised
and said there are currently 130 officers being
pursued for driving matters at a cost of
£135,000 to the Federation over the last 18
months.
There are 70 deaths each day in Europe and five in
England and Wales, but on Project EDWARD day in
2016 this reduced to 42.
There were some break-out sessions. I
saw a presentation on the Older Driver
Forum – Driving Safely for Longer. This is a
Hampshire project aiming to raise
awareness but also offer voluntary
assessments and encourages regular
eyesight tests.
There are 4.75 million drivers over the
age of 70 in the UK. The oldest current driver
is 109. Those 85 and over are four times
more likely to have a collision. Older females
are a higher risk. The older drivers make up
12 per cent of the population, six per cent
of the casualties and 20 per cent of the
fatalities. Those driving less than 2,000
miles per year at any age are more at risk of
a collision.
With this in mind, Hampshire has
created its own driver awareness course for
the older driver. As a result, the Force has
seen a reduction in the number of collisions
involving older drivers, while other areas in
the country have seen an increase.
Other news included that roadside
evidential breath testing is still in the
pipeline but no date has been set to
implement it. The blood sample kits are
being looked at after the issue of obtaining
blood from some clients was highlighted
and they are looking to have a butterfly
needle added to the pack to give a
healthcare professional more opportunity to
obtain blood. Field Impairment Training (FIT)
– a roadside test for impairment due to
drugs - becomes the responsibility of the
College of Policing from 1 April this year.
Finally, Ruth Purdie (a name you might
recognise) from TISPOL – the European
Traffic Police Network, joint working
between forces across Europe - spoke about
enforcement across Europe. There are
various enforcement days through the year
for drivers’ hours, vehicle roadworthiness,
drink/drug driving, speeding, phones,
seatbelts etc. Education alone has not
worked and enforcement is also needed to
help change attitudes and behaviours.
Project EDWARD (Enforcement Day
Without A Road Death), one of the joint
enforcement days, where the aim is to go 24
hours without a road death, will take place
again this year on 21 September.
There are 70 deaths each day in Europe
and five in England and Wales, but on
Project EDWARD day in 2016 this reduced to
42. Let’s hope this year’s is a success.
Representing
l
Negotiating
l
Influencing
19

Safonau’r Gymraeg
- beth ydyn nhw?
Cyfres o ofynion cyfreithiol rhwymol ydy
Safonau’r Gymraeg sy’n ceisio gwella’r
gwasanaethau dwyieithog y gall y cyhoedd
yng Ngogledd Cymru eu disgwyl gan yr
Heddlu a’r Comisiynydd Heddlu a Throsedd.
Mae’r Safonau’n nodi beth ydy ein
cyfrifoldebau o ran darparu gwasanaethau a
gwybodaeth ddwyieithog i’r cyhoedd ac i’r
staff mewn sefyllfaoedd penodol, gan
sicrhau nad ydy’r Gymraeg yn cael ei thrin yn
llai ffafriol na’r Saesneg. Mae’r Safonau’n
cynnig cyfle i atgyfnerthu a gwella ein
darpariaeth ddwyieithog. Comisiynydd y
Gymraeg sy’n eu rheoleiddio a byddan nhw’n
dod i rym ar 30 Mawrth 2017.
Mae gwybodaeth bellach am Safonau’r
Gymraeg ar gael ar safle’r iaith Gymraeg ar y
fewnrwyd http://fhqweb002/supportservices/corporate-services/corporatecommunications/cymraeg---welshlanguage/safonau-iaith-gymraeg.aspx
Offering support for people
with mental health issues
The Force is committed to supporting the
wellbeing of its people and, as part of the
work of the Wellbeing Board, is introducing
some new initiatives to support officers
and staff with mental health issues.
Mental Health Peer Supporters will be
launched in April. It’s a scheme where
individuals who have experience or a good
understanding of mental health issues
volunteer to become a peer supporter so
that they can use their knowledge and
experience to offer emotional or practical
support to others. This could be listening
support or signposting an individual to
more specialist or formal support and could
be a face to face discussion, over the phone
or by email.
The benefits of peer support are wide
ranging for those receiving support, for peer
supporters themselves and for the
organisation as a whole. This support can
help improve emotional resilience and
wellbeing, increase a person’s ability to cope
with mental health issues, challenge stigma
and discrimination and
reduce sickness
absence.
The role is designed
to complement - but
not replace - formal
professional support.
Peer supporters can offer a sympathetic ear
and be there when someone needs support,
but they are not expected to be counsellors
or be experts on mental health issues.
If you would like to become a peer
supporter then please complete a Peer
Support Application Pack which can be found
on the HR vacancies page.
Prospective peer supporters will be
invited to an informal discussion to ascertain
suitability and will be provided with mental
health first aid training by Mind.
For any questions about the scheme
please contact Lee Bailey on extension
04974 or Anna Williams on extension 04174.
Further information can also be found on the
healthy mind section of the HR intranet site.
What are the Welsh
Language Standards?
The Welsh Language Standards are a set of
legally binding requirements that aim to
improve the bilingual services the public in
North Wales can expect to receive from the
Force and the Police and Crime Commissioner.
The standards set out what our
responsibilities are in terms of providing
bilingual services and information both to the
public and also to staff in specific situations,
ensuring the Welsh language is not treated
any less favourably than the English language.
The standards provide an opportunity to
consolidate and improve our bilingual
provision. They are regulated by the Welsh
Language Commissioner and will come into
force on 30 March 2017.
Find out more on the Welsh language
pages on the intranet http://fhqweb002/
support-services/corporate-services/
corporate-communications/cymraeg---welshlanguage/welsh-language-standards.aspx
A19 ‘not unlawful’
Back in 2015 we updated you about
Regulation A19 – under which officers were
forced to retire after 30 years’ pensionable
service. An employment tribunal in 2014
had ruled that officers required to retire
under A19 were due compensation, but a
Court of Appeal ruling was being awaited.
In February this year the Court of Appeal
ruled that police forces’ use of A19 did not
amount to age discrimination.
This ruling upholds a decision by the
Employment Appeal Tribunal to overturn the
original 2014 judgment that requiring
officers to retire under Regulation A19 of the
Police Pensions Regulations 1987 is not ‘a
proportionate means of achieving a
legitimate aim’, a justification for
discrimination under the Equality Act.
A19 allows police forces to make an
officer of the rank of chief superintendent or
below to retire ‘in the general interests of
efficiency’.
A19 can be applied to those officers who
have sufficient service to allow them a
pension of two thirds average pensionable
pay – arguably affecting middle ranking
officers the most.
20

‘Officers need 2.8 per cent pay rise’
The Police Federation has called for all
officers to be given a 2.8 per cent pay rise.
The Federation has argued for the rise in
its annual submission to the Police
Remuneration Review Body (PRRB).
In its joint submission with the
Superintendents’ Association, it has asked
for the uplift, which would be in line with
Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation, despite a
one per cent public pay increase limit set by
the Treasury.
“This year’s pay and morale survey, the
largest ever undertaken, once again shows
that morale continues to be low. Alongside
how officers are treated, pay and benefits
remains one of the most significant
contributory factors to this,” says Andy
Fittes, general secretary of the national
Police Federation.
“Continuing austerity measures,
exacerbated by inflation, have seen police
officers hit hard by way of a real terms pay
gap. The ability to recruit strong candidates,
or recruit full stop, may be impacted if this is
not addressed.
“Whilst directed to limit any pay award
at one per cent, the independent PRRB must
be free to draw its own conclusions based on
the evidence presented.”
One of the issues raised in the report
looked at the impact eight years of austerity
had on the relative value of officers’ pay.
This includes two years of a pay freeze
and several years of below inflation raises
which have resulted in a real terms gap
across all ranks of about 14.6 per cent. It
states that should austerity measures
continue, a pay cap at one per cent over the
next four years to 2020 would result in an
overall gap between pay settlements and
inflation of 23 per cent since 2010.
And it goes on to say the situation is
exacerbated by the removal of a number of
elements of pay, such as Competence
Related Threshold Payments and Special
Priority Payments. There was also a
recommendation that the On Call Allowance,
introduced in 2013 and set at £15, was
uplifted by the Retail Price Index.
The PRRB asked submissions to consider
both the targeting of pay and observations
on proposals to introduce police officer
apprenticeships, in relation to setting pay.
Explaining the Federation view on these
issues, Andy continued: “We are not against
change to the pay system and recognise it
needs to change as the service changes.
However, chief constables should not be
given ‘carte blanche’ to pay at their
discretion. Sufficient time needs to be given
for discussions on any new targeting
proposals, with clear evidence presented
throughout.
“We believe that to maintain fairness,
and encourage interest from a range of
candidates reflective of their communities,
apprentices should be paid in line with
existing starting salary bandings. This would
allow room for many, especially those with
prior policing experience, to attract the
higher starting point.”
The Police Federation and
Superintendents’ Association’s submission to
the PRRB and additional information,
including other stakeholder submissions can
be viewed on the Federation’s PRRB page.
Emily Crick,
Associate Solicitor
Watching out
for YOU…
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With 20+ years’ experience working with the police, Gorvins Solicitors,
have been a leading provider of legal services to the Police Federation
and all its members. Whilst you protect your community our aim is to
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Contact your dedicated force
representative Emily Crick today on
0845 6347 999
e-mail police-divorce@gorvins.com
or visit us at www.gorvins.com/
police-divorce/north-wales
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Cost effective: Fixed fees and
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Prompt service: First appointment
free and no matter is too small
Other Family Services
• Wills, trusts and probate
• Employment law
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• Personal injury claims
(on or off duty)
• Dispute resolution matters
Representing
l
Negotiating
l
Influencing
21

Face up to festive finances
The beginning of a new year has a great
way of evoking the feeling of starting
again, a fresh start and looking ahead.
But as many of us turned to credit to
fund Christmas, the financial repercussions
can end up lasting a lot longer than the
festive period itself.
And if you’re still struggling to get to
grips with your finances three months after
the big day, it can be difficult to feel positive
about the future.
But you’re not alone.
Problem debt can affect anyone for a
number of reasons. Thousands of people
from all backgrounds and walks of life in the
UK are currently experiencing financial
difficulties due to the economic downturn,
spiralling living costs, static wages and
salary levels – and police officers are no
exception.
A relationship breakdown or loss of
income due to an injury at work are both
commonplace within the police and can
trigger debt problems. Being a police officer
can be extremely rewarding but challenging
enough without trying to cope with
financial problems as well.
So there’s no better time than now to
get organised and get to grips with your
finances again.
Jane Clack is a money advisor at debt
management company PayPlan and is no
stranger to debt herself. In 2001, Jane found
herself facing debts of more than £38,000
after a business she tried to set up failed.
Fifteen years later and not only has Jane
rebuilt her finances and credit status, but
she now works for the debt company that
helped her.
“I know what it’s like to be in debt, to
feel alone and isolated and I wanted to help
others in a similar situation,” said Jane.
Jane has some tips on how you can go about
tackling those post-Christmas debts:
l Find out what you owe: To find out who
you owe money to, start by pulling copies of
your old statements from at least the last
year including loan statements, utility bills
and your bank statement.
l Make a list of all your creditors
(everyone you made a payment to in the last
year and what you owe).
l Draw up a budget: Work out your
income and expenditure and see where you
can cut down on any unnecessary spending.
l Pay more than the minimum: If you can
afford to, it’s always good to try to pay more
towards your debt repayments to reduce the
overall interest.
l Seek help: If your debt becomes
unmanageable, seek independent advice
from a specialist debt advisor or
organisation.
If you’re struggling with your finances
and would like some more information or to
speak to someone, call our dedicated police
line on 0800 009 4146.
PayPlan is a trading name of Totemic Limited.
Totemic Limited is a limited company registered in
England, Company Number: 2789854. Registered
Office: Kempton House, Dysart Road, PO Box 9562,
Grantham, NG31 0EA. Totemic Limited is authorised
and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Financial Conduct Authority Number: 681263.
Totemic, the Totemic logo, PayPlan and the PayPlan
Logo are all trademarks of Totemic Limited.
New-look conference heads to Birmingham
This year will see a new-look Police
Federation annual national conference,
which will be held in Birmingham for the first
time.
Delegates from North Wales will be
making the journey over the border for the
two-day event, which is at the city’s
International Convention Centre (ICC) on 16
and 17 May.
The theme will be Protect The Protectors
– carrying on the campaign which was
launched by the Federation in February and
highlights the daily assaults on officers across
England and Wales.
Sir David Normington recommended the
national conference was ‘slimmed down’
following his independent review of the Police
Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) in
2014.
His review panel, which put forward 36
recommendations for an overhaul of PFEW,
said the conference should be reduced from
three days to two and that fewer delegates
should attend.
All recommendations were backed by the
Federation at conference 2015 and are now
being implemented with this being the first
year that the conference has been pared back.
Richard Eccles, Secretary of North Wales
Theresa May, then Home
Secretary, addresses
conference 2016.
Police Federation, says the national
conference offers an invaluable opportunity
for Federation representatives to meet up
with colleagues from across England and
Wales to discuss best practice and current
issues as well as learn about the latest
developments in policing.
“Conference is attended by police leaders,
including politicians and chief officers, so it
gives delegates a chance to take part in
debates on key matters of concern and
feedback information to officers back in
force,” he explains.
“It will be interesting to see how this
year’s slimmed down conference compares to
previous years.”
22

Pensions update
The Police Federation of England and Wales
(PFEW) has published two updates on
pensions.
The two documents, FAQs based on
regular queries from members, and a
timeline setting out the background to the
current situation, were issued at the start
of March.
Both documents can be read in full on
the Federation website but here are a few
of the key points.
What did the PFEW do to prevent the CARE
pension scheme?
There was nothing the PFEW could do to
prevent the scheme from being
implemented. It was the only scheme
proposed by the Government and was in
line with the CARE schemes proposed for
other public service workers. The
Government is not required to negotiate
with the PFEW on pension provision. It
informed us of its proposal to introduce the
scheme in 2012, as it needed a “long-term
solution to the increasing costs of public
service pensions that is fair to public
servants and other taxpayers”.
We opposed its introduction and its
application to existing officers, but it was
introduced by the enactment of new
primary legislation. The Government has
the mandate to govern in the way it sees
fit.
Why did the PFEW not challenge the
Government?
The PFEW sought legal advice throughout
the process and was advised that there
were no grounds to successfully challenge
the introduction of the new scheme.
All avenues regarding the legality of
overall scheme introduction have been
considered, including public law (judicial
review); European law, human rights and
discrimination.
A group of police officers decided to put
in a legal challenge to the transitional
protections in the 2015 CARE scheme. The
PFEW has not followed this course because
we are aware of the potential detrimental
risks and because we believe that
transitional protections are a good thing as
we aim to achieve a positive outcome for as
many of our members as possible.
In the judges’ Employment Tribunal (ET)
ruling it was found that the transitional
protections in the judges’ scheme did not
represent a proportionate means of
achieving a legitimate aim and were
therefore discriminatory in protecting some
members too well.
The subsequent ET ruling in the Fire
Brigades Union (FBU) case ruled in their
case that while the transitional
arrangements in the firefighters’ pensions
were discriminatory they were justifiable as
they represented a proportionate means of
achieving a legitimate aim.
Did you influence the scheme at all?
Yes. We ensured that:
l Officers have the ability to retire at 55
from the CARE scheme (with their
pension actuarially reduced from age
60).
l
There was an extension of those
covered by full transitional protections
and also those within four years of full
protection received tapered protection,
therefore avoiding a “cliff edge”
scenario. This enabled more members
to be covered than was the case in the
Home Secretary’s initial proposal.
PFEW was in favour of transitional
protections. Part of these protections have
ensured that there is tapered protection for
some of those officers in the previous
pension schemes, to avoid a “cliff edge” of
protection – by which officers could miss
out on being able to remain in the old
schemes by just one day of service or by
being born just one day later. This allows
those officers to benefit from continued
membership of their earlier scheme for
longer.
More than half of members were able
to either have full protection or tapered
protection, while previously accrued rights
were also protected for all officers with
Police Pension Scheme (PPS) 1987 and/or
New Police Pension Scheme (NPPS) 2006
service.
Unprotected members and those with
tapered protection who transfer to and
remain members of the new scheme also
benefit from the application of ‘final final’
salary in the calculation of their accrued
pension and members who were in the PPS
1987 also benefit from weighted accrual.
If Federation legal advice is wrong, will you
fund a legal challenge for all officers?
No. The legal advice is just that – advice
– and while we have taken that on board,
we do not believe that a challenge based
on transitional protections is in the best
interests of most members. The debate is
not confined to a legal argument, with a
number of factors to be considered. The
judges’ ET ruling was against the
transitional protections put in place,
stating that those given the protections
had been treated better than could be
justified based on the evidence.
How many colleagues are protected/
partially or not protected?
In total, more than 67,000 of our 121,000
members had either full protection (more
than 49,000) or tapered protection (just
over 18,000).
How many members were affected, to a
detrimental effect, by the pension changes
introduced by this Government?
It is not possible to pinpoint this as not all
of those officers in the new scheme will
suffer an adverse effect to their future
pension accrual. Some people in the new
scheme might actually be better off.
What happens next?
We will continue to monitor the situation
with public service pensions and await
further information on both the appeals
which have been lodged. We have chosen
not to challenge because we believe that
transitional protections are a good thing.
PensionS timeline
The timeline covers the period from
2011 to March 2017.
Its first entries are:
2011
March – The final report of the
Independent Public Service Pensions
Commission, led by Lord Hutton is
published. In his report, Lord Hutton
spoke of a need for comprehensive
reform in order “for public service
employees to continue to have access
for the foreseeable future, to good
quality, sustainable and fairer defined
benefit pension schemes”.
At Budget 2011 the Government
“accepts Lord Hutton’s
recommendations as a basis for
consultation with public sector
workers”.
May – Home Secretary Theresa May
announces at the Police Federation of
England and Wales (PFEW) annual
conference that she has asked Thomas
Winsor to consider police pensions in
the second part of his ongoing Review
of Police Officer and Staff Remuneration
and Conditions.
The final entries are:
2017
February – The Fire Brigades Union’s
(FBU) employment tribunal ruling is
handed down and the ruling is in favour
of the Government, stating that the
discrimination inherent in the
transitional arrangements used in this
scheme was justifiable on the grounds
that they were a proportionate means
of achieving a legitimate aim. The FBU
announce later it will appeal the ruling.
March – The Ministry of Justice
announces its intention to appeal
against the ruling in the judges’
employment tribunal.
The PFEW issues further FAQs
relating to police pensions.
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Custody sergeant… A role
that needs to be valued!
By Sergeants’ representative Paul Anderson
When imparting advice on a strategy for my
impending posting as a custody officer a few
years ago, a wise mentor of mine told me to
‘Forget targets, admin and everything else,
just make sure they are alive when you go
home’.
By ‘they’ he was referring to the diverse
cross section of people who would stand at
the counter of my shiny new custody suite in
St Asaph over the next couple of years, some
of whom would do their utmost to assault
me, assault my colleagues, hurt themselves
and, worst of all, try to bring their own lives
to an end.
And that was all before I had to worry
about other issues, including illness and
injury, which could result in the worst case
scenario of the death in custody to which my
mentor was alluding.
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act has
long since established that the custody
sergeant is king within their suite and the
College of Policing’s Authorised Professional
Practice dictates that all custody staff must
be suitable, trained and competent.
However, along with this status, comes
the responsibility of managing massive risks
and the role is simply not given the
recognition locally or nationally that it
deserves.
Speaking to my colleagues from across
the country at the National Custody Forum
last week, I was still hearing stories of
custody being a hard to fill post, temporary
sergeants being used to fill vacancies and one
force where the perception of sergeants
being moved into the position was that it is
used almost as a punishment posting.
We also hear of new draft IPPC guidelines
that get little support from stakeholders and
talk about separating officers immediately
following death and serious injury cases,
which does nothing to entice sergeants to a
role that appears only to carry risk and
pressure.
I can remember a previous chief
superintendent dictating that all sergeants
had to have some custody experience before
moving up the ladder. It went down like a
lead balloon at the time but is that so wrong?
Inspectors are a vital part of the custody
machine and shouldn’t they have some
knowledge of the role that the sergeant
undertakes in the suite? If the role was
valued in the service this would not be the
issue that it was then, should that decision
be reconsidered?
I have heard the National Police Chiefs’
Council lead for custody, Chief Constable Nick
Ephgrave, publicly thank custody sergeants
for the invaluable work that carry out on a
daily basis.
He also insisted that investigations
following adverse incidents should
acknowledge the welfare of the staff
involved. This is a positive step in the right
direction, but needs to filter down across all
forces and sideways to the IPCC if we are to
see improvements in how this vital role is
viewed.
So, is it time for properly accredited
custody training along the lines of that in
place for detectives? Some would argue that
the high turn-over of custody staff doesn’t
lend itself to a detective or traffic style
traineeship.
I would counter that this is clearly a
chicken and egg scenario where it is difficult
to know whether undervaluing custody
sergeants and lack of regard for the role
Thankfully, custody suites in North Wales are,
relatively, a very safe place to be detained. That is
because they have a dedicated team there constantly
trying to do the right thing. I include not only the
sergeants in this but the detention officers and the
nurses we work alongside.
If you compare the role
of the custody officer
with that of an
Authorised Firearms
Officer, the risk of
somebody dying during
the shift is far higher
for the custody officer.
causes high turn-over or whether it is the
other way round, but the cycle certainly
needs to be broken if we are to improve the
safety of staff and detainees in the long run.
If you compare the role of the custody
officer with that of an Authorised Firearms
Officer, the risk of somebody dying during the
shift is far higher for the custody officer.
However, after an initial training course, it’s a
one day a year refresher and training is
significantly less than for firearms. The
service values those officers who carry
firearms and rightly so, they do an amazing
job. However, custody sergeants are often
overlooked and undervalued, and in my
experience have saved countless lives.
Thankfully, custody suites in North Wales
are, relatively, a very safe place to be detained.
That is because they have a dedicated team
there constantly trying to do the right thing. I
include not only the sergeants in this but the
detention officers and the nurses we work
alongside.
However, I write that searching for an
extra large piece of wood to place my hand
upon, knowing that by the time this goes to
press any one of my custody colleagues could,
for any number of reasons, be facing a
lengthy investigation that requires the
support of the Federation’s post-incident
procedure trained officers.
The main benefit of highly trained and
valued custody sergeants is clear… improving
the chances that ‘they’ are all alive when we
go home and we can all live to fight another
day!
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Going
through a
divorce?
Call us
before your
ex does.
Roland Humphreys
Principal Lawyer
in Family Law at
Slater and Gordon
We’re been working with the Police
Federation for over fifty years –
longer than any other firm. No
one understands better the unique
pressures of police work, and how
to protect your rights – especially
your pension. If you’re going
through a divorce, we offer a
free initial consultation, fixed fee
packages, discounted rates and
flexible payment options plus give
you access to some of the country’s
best family lawyers.
If you think we could help, call us on
0808 175 7710
slatergordon.co.uk/police-law
Offices throughout the UK.
26
Slater and Gordon (UK) LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Police pensions on divorce or dissolution
By Roland
Humphreys
Principal lawyer in
family law at
Slater and Gordon
Police pensions are
often the most
valuable asset on
divorce and yet,
due to their
complexity, a great
deal of confusion surrounds them. Officers
who do not seek guidance from an expert
often find themselves provided with
incorrect and often misleading advice from
well-meaning others.
Following a separation it is important to
get advice about the financial arrangements
surrounding your pension including how the
courts are likely to deal with the pension as
part of any overall financial settlement, as
there are various options available including
Pension Sharing Orders or offsetting against
other assets, such as savings or equity in a
family property.
In complicated divorce cases, particularly
those where the pension is already in
payment due to retirement or ill health, it is
not uncommon for it to be necessary to seek
advice from a pension actuary who provides
a report about the different pension needs
and options within the court process. The
conclusions reached in such reports may
prove critical in informing the court about
how issues in relation to pensions held by
both parties should be resolved. It is very
important you have a lawyer who is
confident from the outset, ensuring the
correct questions are asked and to
vigorously challenge any conclusion, making
certain your interests are properly protected.
Because of the various options available
for the division of pension assets upon
divorce or dissolution, there are many myths
surrounding them. For example, the
recipient of a Pension Sharing Order in
relation to a police pension does not receive
an immediate lump sum equivalent to the
“share” and will have to wait until their 60th
birthday to realise any benefits. Further, if
the person having their pension deducted
has already retired, they will experience an
immediate deduction in any income they
are already receiving, even if the recipient
might not receive theirs for a number of
years, because they are not yet 60 years old.
When deciding how to deal with your
pension, and other matrimonial assets, the
Family Court will consider a number of
different criteria and it may be that a
Pension Sharing Order may not be the best
outcome based on the length of your
marriage, the value of your pension, your
length of service and the value of the other
matrimonial assets. For example, if a
marriage is short, a court might prefer to
“offset” any interest in pension funds
generated during the marriage by way of a
smaller lump sum. No two situations are the
same and you should have a lawyer who
understands these complexities and how
the different circumstances might affect the
outcome.
If you would like specialist advice from a
family lawyer then please contact Slater and
Gordon on 0808 175 7710 and we’ll be
happy to help.
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